PLANS by Ongar Town Council to take ownership of the lorry park in Greensted Road have controversially been scrapped.
After months of negotiations costing the taxpayer about £6,000, the deal, under which the town council would have bought the neglected freehold land for £1 from Essex County Council, fell through because of restrictions outlawing development on the site.
According to Gerard McEwen, county councillor for Ongar and Rural, the town council was keen to build on the contaminated former gasworks site to cover the costs of cleaning it up.
Pollution levels apparently only became clear when the town council carried out a survey after they won the bid in April 2012.
Former county council chairman Mr McEwen, who is retiring in May, described the breakdown in negotiations as "a very sad state of affairs".
He added: "They have been negotiating for a very long time and I really hoped they had a deal agreed.
"There was a restriction in place that prevented building on the land and the town council bid for it on that understanding, and it was the same for everyone else too."
Mr McEwen said if the restrictions had been lifted for Ongar Town Council, the situation would have looked like a "carve-up".
The future of the plot, which has been used as an unauthorised rubbish dump and unregulated car park for more than 30 years, remains uncertain.
Former town councillor Bob McDonald, of The Spinney in Ongar, who has been campaigning for the lorry park to be landscaped and incorporated into the Cripsey Brook Nature Reserve, said he was "disappointed but not surprised" at the announcement.
He added: "I think it's a disgrace on both the town council and county council's parts and all I hope now is that Essex County Cou ncil take up their responsibilities and do something to tidy that site up."
Ongar town clerk Aimi Middlehurst said that "great care" had been taken to ensure "all avenues were thoroughly explored", but the clean-up costs would have had to be passed onto residents through taxation.
She added: "This decision was taken by the council due to the excessive cost of the necessary improvements to the site.
"Essex County Council insisted on restrictions that would limit the council's ability to raise funds towards the essential improvements.
"With the limited grant funding available for this type of project, it was agreed that this was not financially viable and the town council was unwilling to burden the residents of Ongar with large ongoing council tax increases.
"The town council will continue to liaise with the county council and Epping Forest District Council to try and preserve the site for parking to support local businesses and residents in the area".
